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80s TV Ladies

80s TV Ladies

134 West | Susan Lambert Hatem & Sharon Johnson

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3 Creators

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3 Creators

3-time Podcast Awards Winner. Webby nominated for Best Indie Podcast.
80s TV Ladies is dedicated to the beloved female-driven shows of the 1980s! Do you love 80s pop culture, television and fabulous women? On our show, you’ll hear a breakdown of how these shows got made, how they were influenced by the times and, in turn, how they influenced pop-culture trends to follow. We love discussing the “two-steps forward, one-step-back” lens of media-driven feminism.
Join hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson as they talk about the fabulous ladies of television: Cagney & Lacey, Designing Women, A Different World, The Golden Girls and more.
With special guests, TV creators and stars! Do these shows we hold so dear hold up? Let's find out.
Season 1: We examine three “detective duo shows” this season, with multiple episodes and awesome guests for each TV show we cover.
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Remington Steele
Cagney & Lacey
Season 2: Multiple episodes per TV show exploring representation and behind-the-scenes insight in science fiction, drama and sitcoms!
Queer representation in 70s and 80s
9 to 5 television show
It's a Living
Designing Women
Ladies of the 80s: A Divas Christmas
Star Trek Ladies
Moonlighting
Special guests: Eugenie Ross-Leming, Martha Smith, Robin Bernheim, Stephanie Zimbalist, Evan Ball, Debbie Evans, Barney Rosenzweig, Tyne Daly, Sharon Gless, Karen Arthur, Cynthis Beemis Abrams, Matt Baume, Jane Epsensen, Drew Greenberg, Paul Kreppel, Bryan Edward Hill, Maggie Friedman, Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, Stan Zimmerman, Mary Lou Belli, Nana Visitor, Glenn Gordon Caron, Shery Main and more!
We publish every other Wednesday.
Tell us: Who should we interview and what's your favorite 80s Ladies television show? https://www.80stvladies.com
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Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best 80s TV Ladies episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to 80s TV Ladies for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite 80s TV Ladies episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

“They said I could do whatever I want. So I thought, I’ll write a boy-girl detective show that kills this stupid genre.” – Glenn Gordon Caron, creator of Moonlighting
Some walk by night, some fly by day... Susan and Sharon cross paths with legendary writer, director, producer and creator of the classic 80’s series Moonlighting for a rollicking conversation about David, Maddie, Ms. DiPesto – and everything in between!
Moonlighting ran from 1985-1989. It starred Cybill Shepherd and a then-unknown Bruce Willis and would become a landmark classic of 80s television. Tasked with making “one of those boy-girl detective shows” Caron agreed on the condition that he could do whatever he wanted. What he – and as it turns out, we – wanted, was Moonlighting. Glenn Gordon Caron has been a force in television for over four decades, since his first job on Taxi – followed by a stint on Remington Steele -- before going on to create the seminal 80s romantic comedy/detective series Moonlighting. Caron later went on to create the long-running Patricia Arquette show, Medium. Moonlighting is now streaming on Hulu.
THE CONVERSATION
  • 300 SONGS in 66 episodes – the MANY hurdles of getting the music rights for Moonlighting for the Hulu broadcasts.
  • Glenn’s first pilot turned out to be for a little actor named... James Stewart.
  • Steven Bochco asked Glenn to come work on his new show, then called Hill Street Station: “I said no – this is never gonna go.”
  • On the crazy tone of Moonlighting: “I’m showing the episodes to my youngest child, who’s fourteen. He’s come to believe that I’m mentally ill.”
  • Cybill Shepherd signed on to Moonlighting -- after reading only half the pilot!
  • On casting the role of David Addison: “I brought Bruce Willis in to audition eleven times. They rejected him ten times.”
  • The role of David Addison’s brother was originally written for... David Lee Roth?!
  • GETTING PAST THE CENSORS: ABC censors wouldn’t allow David & Maddie to say “frig”. But “fig”? Um, Okay.
  • On being a maverick: “I was young and arrogant and didn’t care about my reputation. I would live to regret that.”
So, join Susan and Sharon – and Glenn – as they talk Aaron Spelling, Pierce Brosnan, Peter Peter Bogdanovich, 100-page scripts, directing Orson Wells – and getting kicked by nuns!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Watch Moonlighting on Hulu.
Check out the Moonlighting fan website, DavidandMaddie.com
Susan’s new play Confidence (and the Speech) has just been published! Now available for purchase and licensing at DPS via Broadway Licensing.
8TL EXCLUSIVE OFFERS!
Special 80s TV Ladies offer!
Invest in yourself at TheNextish.com - Get 10% off an already 30% off promotion on their newest online course that will help you chart a course forward: "Be The Disruptor" - Use code "8TL24" at checkout at TheNextish.com. Act now. Offer expires: Feb 15.
CONNECT
The 80s TV Ladies traveled to ShePodcasts UNPLUGGED and Podfest Expo 2024! We were thrilled to be learning from and meeting many wonderful fellow podcasters.
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What’s your favorite 80s television theme songs?
Susan and Sharon were invited to be on Dave Sloan and Holly Cantos podcast “What Difference Does It Make?” to talk 80s TV theme songs and retro music -- and they all had so much fun they’re bringing Part Two of the conversation here!
If you want to hear Part One, here’s the link to the 80s TV Ladies episode of “What Difference Does It Make?” And get ready to relive – and rehear -- some great TV theme songs! (“Moonlighting” with Al Jarreau, anyone?)
THE CONVERSATION
  • Whatever happened to TV theme songs?? Sharon has a theory...
  • What pop song stalled at 79 on the Billboard charts in 1981 – then climbed to number one six years later when it was featured on “Family Ties” in 1987?
  • Thirty-two Oscar winners set sail on the “Love Boat” – can you name five? (We’ll spot you Jamie Lee Curtis)
  • The magic of those old network promotional specials with all the stars - from Battle of the Network Stars to ABC's Love Boat Fall Preview Special!
  • “Remington Steele”’s bizarre Season Two opening credit sequence where Laura and Steele sit in a theater and watch scenes of themselves -- from their own show!
  • Which “Golden Girl” are Susan and Sharon? Which one are you?
  • That weird “Wednesday” dance song, Goo Goo Muck by The Cramps!
  • “Skyfall”-ing with Susan and Rich – just don’t do it around the kids...
  • TV HOUSES – THEY’RE ALL HERE IN L.A.! Sharon walked past the Brady Bunch house a million times before realizing it! (And no, she didn’t buy it...)
Join Susan and Sharon – and Dave and Holly – as they talk “Night Court”, “China Beach”, “Bosom Buddies” – and why Susan’s afraid to watch “The Last of Us”!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Check out Dave and Holly’s 80s Music podcast “What Difference Does It Make?”
Watch the shot-by-shot opening credits remake of Simon & Simon at The Greatest Event in Television History on adult swim.
Listen to the 8TL212: Fav TV Theme with WDDIM Spotify playlist!
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
The 90s TV Babies have to watch the following episodes of “It’s a Living”
Season 1: Ep 1 & Ep 13
Season 3: Ep 2
Season 5: Ep 2
Season 6: Ep 1
CONNECT
For transcripts, contact info and more visit 80sTVLadies.com.
Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.
80’s TV Ladies has been nominated for three People’s Choice Podcast Awards!
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“The thing I loved about the theater was ‘the puzzle’. And in television, it was a new puzzle every week. And I LOVED that.” – Mary Lou Belli, on the joy of directing.
In a career spanning five decades, Emmy Award-winning director Mary Lou has directed episodes of Charles In Charge, Major Dad, The Hughleys, Girlfriends, Monk, The Game, Heart of Dixie, Devious Maids, Station 19, Black Lightening, NCIS: New Orleans, Sweet Magnolias and The Ms. Pat Show. She is the co-author of four books: Director’s Tell the Story, The Sitcom Career Book, Acting For Young Actors and The NEW Sitcom Career Book.
She has also opened doors for the next generation of women directors through diversity programs at ABC and CBS, and teaching and mentoring young directors through DGA, AFI, Women in Film, Film Fatale, Women in Media and Alliance of Women Directors. Ms. Belli reflects on her transition into directing, and how the landscape of opportunities has changed for women in Hollywood over the past four decades.
THE CONVERSATION
  • STARTING SMALL: After graduating college at Penn State, Mary Lou still “looked 14 years old” -- so she went to New York where she immediately got roles playing children on stage and in films.
  • Domestic Life – learning about “perfection, refinement and improvement” with Steve Martin and Martin Mull.
  • Teaching “Anne Shirley” (Megan Follows, Anne of Green Gables) how to drive on the back lot at Universal Studios!
  • How Jack Riley – Mr. Carlin from The Bob Newhart Show – lit the fire that led to Mary Lou becoming a director.
  • Getting her start as a director at Betty Garrett’s Theater West in Los Angeles.
  • Being mentored by Debbie Allen, Nancy Malone, Lee Shallat-Chemel, Linda Day, Joan Darling.
  • MARY LOU IN CHARGE: Directing Ellen Travolta and Scott Baio on Charles in Charge.
  • How identifying women as minorities opened up the playing field – and how affirmative action overwhelmingly helps open up career pathways.
  • How being “the only woman in the room” leads to a lack of opportunity – but with MORE women in the room, generosity of opportunity follows.
  • Running into CCH Pounder at Trader Joe’s!
So join Susan and Sharon – and Mary Lou – as they talk road trips, Estelle Getty, Sydney Pollack, Emmy nominations, “Don’t Touch My Hair”, the joy of Scott Bakula – and the wisdom of passing out Xerox copies of your good reviews!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Find out more at her website, MaryLouBelli.com.
Buy Mary Lou Belli’s books at Bookshop.org.
Watch The Ms. Pat Show on BET. On Amazon Video.
Listen to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ podcast Wiser Than Me.
SPECIAL PATREON-ONLY EPISODE! – Listen to a live watch-thru of Lifetime’s Ladies of the 80’s: A Diva’s Christmas with Susan, Sharon, Melissa and 90’s TV Baby Serita Fontanesi! Don't miss it on Patreon (Try it for FREE for 7 days!).
CONNECT
Read transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Follow 8TL on Facebook.
Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.
Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.
Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.
LISTENER FEEDBACK
Send us a message on our 8TL website:
What 80s Ladies Directors should we have on the show?
What show should we cover next on 80s TV Ladies?
And let us know: Do you watch holiday movies? Where do you watch them? What are your favorites?
Wishing you a wonderful holiday, Merry Christma...
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80s TV Ladies - Moonlighting Magic | Sheryl Main
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02/28/24 • 71 min

“I was never so tightly wound as the night we transmitted the show directly from ABC in Los Angeles to New York. We basically went live.”– Sheryl Main, post-production supervisor, Moonlighting
Susan and Sharon take you “behind the scenes” with Moonlighting post-production supervisor – and legendary publicity strategist Sheryl Main. As a Unit Publicist, she’s worked on such films as Creed 3, Judas and the Black Messiah, The Expendables, Terminator 3, The Perks of Being A Wallflower and collaborated with hundreds of celebrities including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Clint Eastwood, Emma Watson – and everyone in between!
But she "cut her teeth" with Moonlighting. Sheryl talks about the “insanely creative” atmosphere created by Glenn Gordon Caron, the long hours and crazy good times – and the lifelong friends she “met on the way.”
THE CONVERSATION
  • Experiencing sexism and harassment in the movie industry: The Pope of Greenwich Village director “Stuart Rosenberg sent me home for wearing pink jeans. So Mickey Rourke said: “$*@! him. Work with me. Be my assistant.”
  • When she interviewed to be Bruce Willis’s assistant, she recognized him – as “Bruno Radolini” – his musical alter ego from New York!
  • Moonlighting on Moonlighting: “The editors pulled all-nighters. They slept there. But we had fun.”
  • On Glen Gordon Caron: “He changed TV when you think about it. Everything we did from ‘Atomic Shakespeare’ to the black and white episode to... well, we thought we killed Orson Wells.”
  • ARNOLD AND SLY AND BRUCE AND ME: “They all impacted my career and my life in different ways."
  • On Arnold the Governor: “We went up there thinking ‘Woo-Hoo! We’re gonna change the world! But the mechanism in place doesn’t want you to change the world.”
  • On Bruce Willis: “He was a craftsman with words. He could memorize a scene in a minute. What’s happening with him... it’s heartbreaking. I wouldn’t have a career without him.”
So, join Susan and Sharon – and Sheryl – as they talk crisis-managing Rust, partying in Cybil’s trailer, Dennis Dugan, The Expendables, Jed the Fish on KROQ -- and the “Curtis Armstrong Day” parade!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Check out Moonlighting: The Podcast: https://moonlightingthepodcast.com/
Watch Moonlighting on Hulu.
Stream it on Apple TV or at Amazon Prime Video.
Follow Glenn Gordon Caron on Twitter.com/GlennGCaron.
80s TV LADIES NEWS
Susan’s new play Confidence (and the Speech) has been published!Now available for purchase and licensing at DPS via Broadway Licensing.
CONNECT
Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.
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Is “Reservations for Eight” your favorite or LEAST favorite episode of “Designing Women”? How can a simple television comedy cause us to dive into a deep discussion of First Wave Feminism? Yes, it’s time for the 90’s TV Babies to weigh in on Linda Bloodworth-Thomason’s Designing Women.
Serita Fontanesi, Sergio Perez and Megan Ruble were given the assignment: Watch nine seminal episodes of the series, from the first season to the last, that feature all seven main cast members -- and be prepared to discuss. Find out who loved it, who hated it – and who wants a reboot!
Here are the episodes they watched – in case you want to check them out, too:
S1, EP1: “The Pilot”S1, EP2: “The Beauty Contest”
S2, EP22: “Reservations For Eight”
S4, EP11: “They Shoot Fat Woman, Don’t They?”
S6, EP8: “The Strange Case of Clarence and Anita”
S7, EP1: “Of Human Bondage”
S7, EP7: “Fools Rush In”
S7, EP 18: “It’s Not So Easy Being Green”
S7, EP 20: “A Difficult Cross To Bear” (a.k.a. “The Lying Game)
THE CONVERSATION
  • Can Serita, Sergio and Megan agree what makes the best Thanksgiving sides?
  • Did Designing Women help invent First Wave Feminism?
  • Was Anthony straight? Gay? Gay coded? Or just Southern?
  • A 90’s TV Babies drinking game?? It’s on. Let’s go!
  • Shipping Anthony and... Julia? Okaaaaaaaay...
  • Did Sheryl Lee Ralph confront Harry Thomason at a political event for the Clintons – and end up with a role on the show?
  • Cos-playing Mary Jo? Megan’s considering it...
  • SERITA ON DELTA: How discussions of body image issues have – and haven’t -- changed over the past 30 years.
  • Sharon and Megan could NOT be further apart when it comes to their feelings for “Reservations for Eight” (S2, EP22)
  • THE LEVEL OF DISCOURSE: What the show got right in its political discussions and comedy – and what hasn’t aged as well.
So join Susan and Sharon – and Megan and Sergio and Serita – as they talk sweet potato mash, big Texas hair, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Beyoncé – and “the 11:00 o’clock rant”!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Watch Designing Women on Hulu, Amazon Prime, Pluto!
Read the 2016 MTV News article on "Confirmation" and The Strange Case of Clarence and Anita.
Watch Ladies of the 80’s: A Divas Christmas on Lifetime.
THE 90s TV BABIES
Listen to Serita Fontanesi's podcast: Not Ugly Pod. Also on Apple Podcasts and Goodpods. A weekly podcast challenging traditional colonial beauty standards one conversation at a time.
CONNECT
For transcripts, contact info and more, visit 80sTVLadies.com.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Follow 8TL on Facebook.
Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.
Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.
Find more cool pods on WeirdingWayMedia.
LISTENER FEEDBACK
Send us a message on our 8TL website:
  • What modern day show talks to current events in ways similar to Designing Women? When the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings were taking place, did any scripted show – comedy or drama – do an episode highlighting their characters' reactions?
  • And let us know: Do you watch holiday movies? ...
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Season 3 of “Scarecrow & Mrs. King” is a fun, and kind of bonkers, 22-episode journey that is anything but straight-forward. International intrigue, poisoned food and wine, eclectic guest stars and a herky-jerky path to romance all add up to a season with surprising rewards – and puzzling road blocks. In this week’s tour of near-misses and near-kisses, we discuss...
- Are Lee (Bruce Boxleinter) and Amanda (Kate Jackson) heating up – or on slow-boil? And why is WKRP in Cincinnati’s Frank Bonner suddenly invading Amanda’s home life?
- What’s on First? A re-shuffle of the first five episodes leaves us with more questions than answers. Why the last minute change up? And how does it affect the development of Lee and Amanda's relationship?
- Special Guest and friend-of-the-show Richard Hatem (Titans, Grimm) joins in to talk about why some shows choose (or are forced) to air their episodes out of production order...
- Who’s the Boss? A third season brings us a THIRD showrunner – George Geiger (Hunter, Profiler), more female scribes (Kathleen A. Shelley, Whitney Wherrett Roberson, Lynne Kelsey) – and the directorial debut of... Ms. Kate Jackson!
- Some of our favorite – and some of the weirdest – episodes ever: Garrett Morris as an African Prime Minister? Lee and Amanda as brother and sister? A retirement home for aging spies? Dottie (Beverly Garland) getting hot and heavy with... A KGB agent? And the return of Amanda’s ex-husband??
Join us as we slip sideways down a twisty-turny Season Three road – with a few bumps along the way – to arrive at Lee and Amanda’s (finally) first official kiss!
AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Beverly Garland: Her Life and Career by Deborah Del Vecchio
https://www.amazon.com/Beverly-Garland-Her-Life-Career/dp/0786465018
Come Walk With Me - A fun, blog journey through all 88 episodes!
https://justwalkwithme.com
Find Richard Hatem at
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0368818/
https://twitter.com/richardhatem
Watch Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Season 3
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B00578YIYE/ref=atv_dp_season_select_s3
Get ABC Miracles - created by Richard Hatem https://www.amazon.com/Miracles-Complete-Skeet-Ulrich/dp/B0007N1AM2
Watch D.C. Titans on HBOMax https://www.hbomax.com/series/urn:hbo:series:GX3Uw2AN9CaHCwwEAAALT
For more information or to download a transcript of this podcast, visit our website: https://80stvladies.com
Don’t miss out on everything 80s TV Ladies. Sign up for our mailing list! - http://eepurl.com/h1YPWH
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“A lot of production companies... who decide to do stories about people of color are not used to having the people of color they hire coming in with an opinion. Coming in contradicting them on certain things.” -- Neema Barnette, director, A Different World
Susan and Sharon welcome legendary producer-director Neema Barnette to talk about her journey from Harlem to Hollywood. Ms. Barnette made history in 1986 when she became the first African-American woman to direct a prime-time sitcom (What’s Happening Now?). She followed this up with episodes of Frank’s Place, It’s A Living and The Cosby Show before directing seven episodes of A Different World. She has directed over 50 movies and television shows and was also the first African-American woman to get a three-picture deal with Sony Pictures.
Neema was also the producer-director of Season One of Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey’s Queen Sugar. She shares stories of making the transition from New York theater to Hollywood films and television, fighting the good fight for herself and others, and inspiring a new generation -- with the truth.
THE CONVERSATION
  • Head of Columbia Pictures Barbara Corday took one look at Neema’s reel and said “Get this woman a job!”
  • “I’ve had two jobs in my life. Directing and teaching. And they have a lot of similarities. ‘Sit down. Shut up. Move over.’
  • Supportive words from the great Shirley Hemphill on the ground-breaking episode of What’s Happening Now?: “We’ve got your back.”
  • IN THE 60s: Getting Sherman’s BBQ and going to the Apollo from noon to midnight to see everyone -- especially Aretha Franklin.
  • The troubles and battles with Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and National Geographic during the making of Genius: Aretha.
  • “When I was in college, I took a course called ‘Strategies For Revolution’. I took that course and I applied it when I came to Hollywood.”
  • Directing The Cosby Show -- in the episode where Bill gets pregnant!
  • Working with Tyra Ferrell, Mare Winningham, Rosilyn Heller and Gloria Steinem on Better Off Dead.
  • Getting pulled away from teaching to do Queen Sugar. “The ratings came out and I started getting calls.”
  • How Ava DuVernay changed the landscape of television by hiring only women directors on Queen Sugar -- and supporting their careers ongoing.
So, join Susan, Sharon -- and Neema -- as they talk Michael B. Jordan, Superfly, The Young Lords, Queen Latifah, Seventh Heaven, Pam Grier -- and “Cut--print that sucker!”
AUDIOGRAPHY
Watch A Different World -- streaming on MAX.
Find Neema Barnette at instagram.com/neemafilms. On Twitter https://x.com/neemrick
Watch Neema’s mini-docs on BlackHistoryMiniDocs.com.
Check out Tammy at the true-crime podcast: Grits with a Side of Murder.
Get & read Susan’s new play Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.
Abortion access in America is severely limited – Help or Get Help at AbortionFinder.org.
CONNECT
Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.
Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.
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80s TV Ladies - Designing Women with Maggie Friedman
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11/01/23 • 70 min

Susan and Sharon get to sit down with writer/producer/show-runner Maggie Friedman to talk about the show that inspired her to embark on a career in television: Designing Women.
Designing Women (1986-1993) was created by the legendary Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and starred Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Jean Smart, Annie Potts and Meshach Taylor as the owners and staff of the Atlanta-based interior design firm “Sugarbaker & Associates”. In its seven-year run, Designing Women was known for sharp writing, big laughs and taking on issues from a feminist angle in a way that no other show had done before – or since.
Maggie Friedman is best known for creating, writing and executive producing Witches of East End for Lifetime Television and Firefly Lane currently on Netflix. She has also written and produced episodes of Dawson’s Creek, Jack & Bobby, Once and Again, Wasteland, Spellbound and No Tomorrow.
THE CONVERSATION
  • How an Ally McBeal spec script got Maggie into a room with Kevin Williamson – and onto the staff of his first show, Dawson's Creek.
  • Maggie set her sights on getting into AFI – and did -- because a mean girl told her she couldn’t!
  • HE DID IT/SHE LIED: Those T-Shirts from the Designing Women Anita Hill episode, and the impact it had on Maggie.
  • Which of the Designing Women are you? Sharon is a Julia, but is Susan Mary Jo – or Anthony?
  • “Guns, and AIDS, and condoms – OH MY!” How Designing Women took on all the current issues, that are unfortunately still current today.
  • SPOILER ALERT: What happens when you write HUGE CLIFFHANGERS – and then your show gets cancelled!
  • Big Hair, Big Shoulders! Was the Atlanta of Designing Women accurate? Susan grew up in Georgia -- and has thoughts.
  • Republican Dixie Carter’s deal: “For every liberal rant you make Julia say, I get to sing a song!”
  • “Georgia On My Mind”: Ray Charles sings with the Designing Women!
  • Young Susan’s brush with fame: Mark Harmon and Peter Scolari – both in one hour!
  • WOMEN OF THE HOUSE” – the little-known 1995 “sequel” where Suzanne Sugarbaker goes to Congress to fill her late husband’s house seat.

So join Susan, Sharon – and Maggie – as they talk Jackie Collins, Witches of East End, Scott Bakula, --- and how sexy Richard Hatem is!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Follow Maggie Friedman on Instagram.
Check out the fan website: Designing Women Online.
Stream Designing Women on Hulu, Amazon Prime, Pluto!
Find more cool podcasts at our network, Weirding Way Media.
For spooky Halloween Season fun, visit our friends Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess at their podcast “Astonishing Legends".
CONNECT
For transcripts, contact info and more, visit 80sTVLadies.com.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.
BEST FEMALE HOSTED - BEST TV & FILM - BEST ART PODCAST
80’s TV Ladies has WON three People’s Choice Podcast Awards!
NOMINATED: Best Moment of Raw Emotion
80s TV Ladies is nominated for an International Women’s Podcast Award!
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On this special Bonus Holiday-themed episode, Susan and Sharon welcome Stan Zimmerman, co-writer of Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas.
Stan Zimmerman is a prolific producer and director but is perhaps best known for his work with writing partner James Berg on A Very Brady Sequel and on the classic television as Roseanne, Gilmore Girls and The Golden Girls. In Ladies of the 80’s: A Divas Christmas, Loni Anderson, Morgan Fairchild, Linda Gray, Donna Mills and Nicolette Sheridan star as five glamorous ‘80s soap opera icons who reunite to share the spotlight to shoot the final Christmas episode of their long-running soap opera.
Lifetime’s Ladies of the 80’s: A Divas Christmas premieres tomorrow!
-- Friday, December 2nd @ 8:00 EST!
THE CONVERSATION
  • STAN TV: As a kid Stan created an imaginary “Fourth Network” in his bedroom, programming a show lineup 7-days a week -- including giving Lily Tomlin her own comedy-variety series!
  • Stan started out as a writer so young he had to wear a pair of fake glasses to pitch meetings to appear older.
  • In 1985, Stan and his writing partner James Berg were one of the first gay writing teams on network TV – but their agents insisted they stay in the closet for fear they’d be fired.
  • LOOKING FOR A ‘BEA ARTHUR TYPE’: How Susan Harris – the creator of The Golden Girls -- ended up snagging the real thing!
  • THE BIRTH OF ST. OLAF: Stan tells the story of finding Betty White’s character Rose Nylund’s hometown in the first season of The Golden Girls.
  • How Stan and James had to trim their scripts -- because they were getting too many laughs!
  • In the 1980’s, you could walk down Santa Monica Blvd on a Saturday night and hear The Golden Girls playing in all the gay bars!
  • What happened the night they filmed an episode on the day Bea Arthur’s mother died.
  • “ADULT EDUCATION” – how this classic episode came about when Rue McClanahan specifically asked the writers to “challenge my character”.
  • The huge network fight about airing the “Lesbian Kiss” episode of Roseanne.
  • Which Golden Girl was Stan’s favorite to write for?
  • And which one had terrible stage fright every time they filmed an episode?
  • How Joan Collins and Jacklyn Smith were almost in A Divas Christmas!
So join Susan and Sharon – and Stan – as they talk Meryl Streep, Fame, teachable moments – and emailing with Lily Tomlin!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Premieres Friday, December 2nd. Watch Ladies of the 80’s: A Divas Christmas on Lifetime.
Pre-order Stan’s book on Bookshop.org: The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore.
CONNECT
For transcripts and more, visit 80sTVLadies.com.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Follow 8TL on Facebook.
Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.
Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.
Find more cool podcasts on our network, Weirding Way Media.
BEST FEMALE HOSTED - BEST TV & FILM - BEST ART PODCAST
80’s TV Ladies WON three People’s Choice Podcast Awards!
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80s TV Ladies - Moonlighting | The 90s TV Babies
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03/13/24 • 64 min

The 90’s TV Babies return: Serita Fontanesi, Sergio Perez and Megan Ruble are back to do a little Moonlighting! Do you agree with the 90s Kids about Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis' hit show?
Susan and Sharon served up five key episodes for the Babies' viewing pleasure:
S1: E1 – “Pilot”
S2: E3 – “Money Talks, Maddie Walks”
S2: E4 – “The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice”
S2: E18 – “Camille”
Bonus Episode: S3: E6 “Big Man on Mulberry Street”
Plus -- YouTube scenes and snippets....
So, did the Babies ask for seconds – or send their meal back? Do bears bear? Do bees bee? Do wah diddie diddie dum diddie do? We’re going to find out!
THE CONVERSATION
  • DON’T FIGHT HIM ON THIS: Sergio, on his mom and the recipes of Pampanga, the culinary capital of the Philippines.
  • Megan struggles with translating her personal worth into a dollar amount!
  • Serita’s dog gets sent to reform school!
  • Wait?!? Sergio has never seen “Die Hard” or “The Sixth Sense” – or any other Bruce Willis movie! What?!?
  • ACCORDING TO THE BABIES: Moonlighting feels like Bruce’s show – Cybill feels like a secondary character.
  • 90’s BABY ADVANTAGE: Megan just skipped ahead to the “good parts” episode – where David and Maddie finally get together! No fair!
  • Which Baby thought the show was too... SLOW?!?!
  • And which Baby thinks the show isn’t feminist but “femin-ish”?
  • When Serita’s mother was a baby, she was quieted from crying by... ORSON WELLS?!?!
So join Susan and Sharon – and Megan, Sergio and Serita – as they talk civil rights, shoulder pads, “throwing vases”, Judd Nelson, Whoopi Goldberg – and “Muppet-level nonsense”!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Watch the special Moonlighting playlist clips at YouTube.com/80sTVLadies.
Check out the book Sergio raved about: Atching Lillian’s Heirloom Recipes.
Watch Megan in Bardic Inspiration’s Twelfth Night’s on Twitch.
Catch Serita’s “Not Ugly” podcast at Apple.
Watch Moonlighting on Hulu.
See more great Moonlighting content at Moonlighting21.com.
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
History - and Herstory - is happening right now. Abortion access in America is severely limited – if you want to help or need help go to Abortionfinder.org
80s TV LADIES NEWS
March 26 - 29: The 80s TV Ladies will be at Podcast Movement Evolutions. Come say hello!
CONNECT
Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.
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Podcast Q&A

Why did you start this show?

I had questions about how women were portrayed in 1980s television. I wanted to start this podcast because it felt like A) it would be super fun and B) it might also answer my more significant question: "How did we get here?" So, I called my friend, Sharon, who I love talking pop culture with, and said, "Do you want to build a podcast?"

What do you hope listeners gain from listening to your show?

😘 - The Facts of Life, A Different World, Cagney & Lacey, Designing Women, Gimme a Break!, The Golden Girls...

Which episode should someone start with?

You can absolutely start anywhere! Listener favorites: Ep. 1 - The First Time w/ Scarecrow and Mrs. King. Ep. 7 - Deep Dark Secrets: Welcome to Remington Steele. Ep. 19 - Cagney & Lacey with Tyne Daly.

Which have been your favourite episodes so far?

My favs: S1 Ep. 10 & 11 - Remington Steele Interview w/ Stephanie Zimbalist. S1 Ep 15 - Stunts of Steele with Living Legend Debbie Evans. S2 Ep. 3 - Say Gay: 70s, 80s and 90s Queer TV with Matt Baume.

Which episode are you most proud of?

So far: S1 Ep 21 - Directing 80s Television with Karen Arthur. - Ms. Arthur was the first woman to win a Primetime Emmy for Directing. I'm so proud we got to interview her, and our conversation was insightful and delightful.

What is your vision for your show?

More 80s. More TV. More Ladies.

What is your favourite other podcast that isn't yours?

You Must Remember This

How did you come up with the name for your podcast?

Well, it's the 80s and ladies rhymed. Suddenly, I had a little theme song in my head...

Tell us a bit about yourself

I'm a theatre and film writer and producer who became a podcaster. I realized recently that my creative endeavors are all wondering, "How did we get here?" and "Does the past affect our present, and what does that mean for our future?" Which leads me to questions like "How is our history truly written?" "Who gets to tell the story?" and "Whose stories are we missing?" Also, I like fun things: TV, games, the environment, puppies, kittens, remarkable stories & tasty snacks.

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FAQ

How many episodes does 80s TV Ladies have?

80s TV Ladies currently has 71 episodes available.

What topics does 80s TV Ladies cover?

The podcast is about Podcasts, Tv Reviews, Tv & Film and Society & Culture.

What is the most popular episode on 80s TV Ladies?

The episode title 'The Making of Moonlighting | Glenn Gordon Caron, Part 1' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on 80s TV Ladies?

The average episode length on 80s TV Ladies is 63 minutes.

How often are episodes of 80s TV Ladies released?

Episodes of 80s TV Ladies are typically released every 14 days.

When was the first episode of 80s TV Ladies?

The first episode of 80s TV Ladies was released on Jul 6, 2022.

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Amy

@amylia

Apr 16

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Consistently a fantastic podcast. The hosts always make the shows come back to life and create such a fun vibe to listen to!

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Melissa Roth

@mel_roth

Aug 10

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Love those 80s TV Ladies!

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Sharon Johnson

@sj80stvl

Nov 28

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Jeni Thomas

@JeniThomas

Sep 24

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